Fire Emblem: Advent
by squish13
Summary: A dark power gathers, Falchion lost. Archanea's fall, the world left on the brink of ruin. The rise of the first Exalt.
1. Prologue: Uprising

**A/N:**

**You have NOOO idea how excited I am to get this project underway :DDDD **

**Okay... maybe you do...**

**No one touches this subject, IT'S RIGHT THERE! Fine, I'll take it! I'll make a story about the first exalt! The BRIDGE between Archanea and Ylisse! Most of the characters are mine, but there are a few obvious exceptions. Also, I'll be keeping a track of all the characters on my tumblr, hyliansquish.**

**ANYWAY! I'm excited! Let's get this underway! Word Count (1074)**

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><p>A sky completely clear, with the midday sun scorching the lands below. A vast desert stretched before two men as they made their way to a lone keep in the distance. Khadein, the city of magic, had been in a state of unrest over these past weeks. By this point, the rift had drawn the attention of neighboring countries as mages fled in their search for refuge.<p>

One man, astride his chestnut steed, stared out to the approaching mage sanctuary. His silver armor glistened in the sunlight, his navy cape behind him, the seal of Archanea stitched across it. A small scar across his left cheek, and his messy cerulean hair sticking to his neck, the man's blue eyes narrowed as he took in the sight before him.

"Harold?"

The paladin looked down to his companion. A sage, garbed in a variety of blues to purples. The man's dark hair falling forward, covering his eyes.

"Yes, Rowan?" The paladin replied, raising an eyebrow as his companion spoke up.

The sage looked away as the paladin looked over his way. "Sh-should you really have brought that along?" He asked, with a brief glance over to the sword which laid at his companion's side.

Harold looked down to the blade, surprised his friend would ask such a thing. "You told me of the dark mage uprising in Khadein… Would you truly prefer I leave Falchion behind?"

"I'm worried for you, Harold." Rowan replied as they continued forth. "These so-called _mages_ are dangerous. Should you fall…"

"I won't fall so easily." The paladin commented with a deep chuckle. "We've fought aside each other for years. Do you doubt my abilities so?"

The sage nervously looked back over his shoulder as they approached their destination. "Do you feel like… we're being followed?"

"Followed? We're in the-" As the paladin looked back, he noticed a figure approaching from the distance. Wings. "…desert." He quickly reached down to his family's blade at his side, ready for possible conflict. As the figure approached, it became clear that there were now more following. "What are the dracoknights doing out of Macedon…?"

"Harold, behind!"

The paladin picked his friend up and spurred his horse forward, a blast of dark energy bursting just where they stood. The man, looked behind to see an army of mages filing out of the fortress behind. "These those _dark mages_ you'd been talking about?"

The sage was still shaken as he tightly held onto his friend's mount. "Y-yeah, but I'm just as clueless as you as to Macedon's involvement."

A loud screech sounded as a rider on his dragon landed before the two, his javelin finding a place in the ground just before Harold's mount. The horse reeled back, throwing its extra rider off to the sand below. The knight struggled to get his horse under control as another dracoknight rapidly approached. "Enough of this!" He shouted, diving to the ground just as an axe cut through his mount's neck.

The knight rushed over to his companion, picking the man off the ground and urging him to run. There was no way they could outrun the Macedonian forces, and Harold knew he couldn't keep up with his companion in this desert. "Rowan…" He started, a smile now stretched across his face. "Still got that old tome?"

The sage nodded, reaching inside his robes to pull out the ancient text. "Y-yeah."

The knight's eyes quickly darted to the ground.

"_Excalibur_!" Sand flew into the sky, darkening the sky, and masking the two men from their foes. Harold tried opening his eyes, finding it nearly impossible to keep them open for an extended period of time. He suddenly felt his hand being grabbed, Rowan pulling him along. "This was _your_ idea," the sage tried reminding the man.

The knight struggled in keeping pace with his companion as they tried to navigate their way through this screen. "It was better than waiting for those dracoknights or _dark mages_."

The men turned back as they heard explosions of various spells behind them. "I can't argue there."

The two continued on their path, seeming to have lost the opposing forces. Just in time, as the sand had started to settle at this point. The great cloud still stood behind them. As the two slowed, they looked back, half-expecting a dracoknight to fly out and greet them with an axe to the head.

A figure showed, but it was certainly no dracoknight, nor did it appear to be one of the mages. It wore a plain indigo robe with no distinct features. None of the figure's garb stood out as anything flashy, dark boots and trousers, and a pair of black gloves. The person approached the watching pair slowly, a dark smile stretched across its face as it watched the two men from under the hood which concealed its features. "Well, look what we have here." The figure started, its voice that of an adult male. "Archanea's little _prince_, and his little _mage friend_." It added with a chuckle.

"Who are you?" Harold started, gripping Falchion as he anticipated the figure to attack.

"_Me?_" The man commented, his hand drawing up to his chest. "No one you should worry about. I must say though," he continued, "that was quite clever of you back there. Using that little spell book to put up a screen and escape without conflict."

The prince grit his teeth as he listened to the man speak, a forced grin stretched across his face. "Yeah," He said through his teeth. "And yet you still found us."

"Yes, well I can't let you leave with that blade, prince." The man said, gesturing to Falchion. "The blade your ancestor used to seal Medeus a thousand years ago."

The prince drew Falchion quickly, charging at the figure before him. "You will _not _take this blade from my family!"

The figure laughed, ducking past the prince as he swung the blade forth. "Oh, prince…" The man stated, rushing up to his opponent, crippling him with impossibly fast blows to the joints. The prince fell forward, landing with a harsh grunt. The figure laughed as he approached the prince, wearing a devilish smirk as he briefly glanced over to the paralyzed sage who could only stand and watch in terror. The figure looked down at his defeated opponent, revealing the deep red eyes hidden beneath his hood. "You have _no_ idea what I am capable of."

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><p><strong>AN:**

**Okay, first off, I'm aware of the FE14 reveal. Seems like a new world, so I'm safe here. **

**Back to the story though. As it continues on, it's gonna be very Fire Emblemy, and by that, I mean it'll probably have a lot of the old cliche's. Ah well, makes it seem more like something that would be part of the series, eh?**

**Still, I'm excited! I'm surprised no one's touched on this! I'm VERY surprised! Is jumping up and down in excitement. Ahem. Yes... so... Kind of strange that I decide to post this now in the fandom, but the time was right for me. I'd spent a few months planning, and now I feel I have enough plot to go off to make this work.**

**Still, I hope you enjoyed this foreboding chapter. Consider leaving some reviews, follow, favorite, stuff. **

**This is your excited and sleep-deprived squish wishing you all a wonderful day! :D **


	2. Chapter 1: Wanted

**A/N:**

***Dances around singing* ~Main story time~**

**Right, so... not much I have to say at the beginning here. Most of my own comments on the chapter will be reserved til the end of it. But until then, sit back, enjoy, R&R. Word Count (2131)**

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><p>A young woman brushed her snowy hair over her shoulder as she knelt down to take off one of her knee-height, blue boots. Her features were delicate, nothing like that of her brother. She wore a silver tunic with blue designs laced across, the same shade which matched her trousers, and a short navy cape. She reached a hand into the troublesome piece of footwear from before, the dark fingerless-gloves she wore, with silver stitches to match the pattern on her tunic, ending just below her elbows. The woman bit her lip as she tried to find what had made its way into her boot, closing her sapphire eyes as she continued her search.<p>

"Lady Iris." Another woman called, catching the attention of the white-haired lass from before. The woman wore the armor of a halberdier, the deep shades of green, matching her eyes. Her long raven hair held back by a single band, she watched the girl before her intently.

"Diana," Iris replied, turning her attention back to finding the object that had been irritating her foot.

The halberdier crossed her arms, frowning as she continued to watch the scene before her. "Are you finished yet, milady?"

"Just one moment…" The young noble said, holding her boot upside down and shaking it out. As she put the piece back on, and wiggled her toes around, the foreign object seemed to have been cleared out. "Perfect." She added, smiling as she glanced up to her guard.

"Yes, yes, Princess." Diana responded with a sigh. "Though I do have to wonder… have you _forgotten_ where we are?"

Iris looked around her at the houses which lined the streets. It was a rather large town, the guards were quite incompetent though, corrupt, and easily bought out. The princess never liked the idea of being sent here, of all places, to meet that hunter with news from the west. "No, Diana." The princess said, casting her gaze to the ground.

"I should hope not." She waved the princess forward, the two walking the streets towards a tavern one of their other companions had decided to visit. "It is my duty to protect you, milady." The halberdier started. "We haven't heard back from your brother in Khadein yet, and it's worrisome. For your mother's sake, please be cautious, Iris."

"I know, Diana." The princess said, looking up to her companion. "You needn't worry for me so."

The halberdier let out another sigh. Princess Iris really could be a piece of work sometimes. She was still too young and didn't understand that she wasn't invincible. They had arrived at the tavern. Diana drew a hand across her face before she opened the door. "I just hope Rufus hasn't…"

Right there, passed out at a far table, was their red cavalier. Iris looked up to her guard, a smirk stretched across her face. "Looks like he has again, huh?"

The halberdier stormed forth, her eyes narrowed, making her way to their wayward cavalier. "Rufus!" She yelled, drawing the attention of many of the other patrons. No reaction came from the red knight, except a few twitching fingers. "Dammit, Rufus, get up!" She called, lifting the man by his collar and shoving him against the wall.

The knight finally snapped to attention. As much as he could. The man looked at her through his half-opened blue eyes. The red knight had a crew cut, and a shabby little goatee, more like just a little chin fuzz, but he always insisted it was a real beard. "Wuzzit…" He said.

"_Dammit, Rufus. This is the third time this week. How do you expect to defend the princess if you're _drunk_?_" The halberdier lowered her tone this time around, hoping to draw less attention. Though, Iris was still sticking quite close and standing over her shoulder, enjoying the show.

"A'm jus enjoyin a drink." He tried to explain with that stupid grin on his face.

Diana shook her head before violently pulling the knight forth. "Oh, not anymore."

"Ay! Leggo!" The cavalier tried to argue, waving his hands around in a pathetic attempt to escape.

The halberdier dragged the man out of the tavern, throwing him to the ground once the group was outside. "Will you get your act together?"

"Aiee!"

The guard wheeled around to see the princess and a strange girl on the ground. "I am _so _sorry." The girl said, rubbing her head of messy dark brown hair. She wore black robes with golden embroidery, and a pair of matching gloves which covered three quarters of her arms. She opened her ruby eyes, looking down at the young swordswoman she just knocked over. "I-I really didn't mean…"

"You." The halberdier started, her eyes narrowing upon the young mage. "Do you know what you have just done?"

Iris rose from the ground, rubbing the back of her head. "Peace, Diana." The princess said, managing to calm her guard down. She looked back over to the mage before her, who was nervously looking back in the direction she came. "Hey, what's your name?"

The mage's eyes widened, her attention turning back to the company before her. "Celeste." She quickly answered. "N-Now, if you really don't mind, I gotta go…"

The young swordswoman looked at her guest, raising an eyebrow. "So soon?"

"Oy!"

The group looked back in the direction the voice had sounded. A group of thugs started to approach. Their leader was a burly man, who carried a large axe over his shoulder. His body crossed with scars, he sneered at the group.

"_Oh no_…" Celeste muttered.

Rufus shambled over, poking at the thug's chest. "An o'r you?"

"Name's Astor," the thug started, shoving the drunk back to the ground. "An _I _am the one's gonna take the reward fer that girlie there." He said, pointing to Celeste.

"Reward?" Iris repeated, looking over to the mage. "Are you some kind of criminal?"

"No! I'm not!" Celeste tried to explain, waving her hands in defense.

"I knew she was trouble, milady!"

"Diana, please…"

"I've 'ad enough a this!" The thug stated, drawing out his axe. "Boys!"

"Iris, get back!" The halberdier ordered as she ran over to pick Rufus off the ground and lead the group away. They continued running, navigating their ways through the alleys of the town. Eventually, they came to a halt. A dead end.

The mage looked around, biting her lip as she played with her collar. "What now?" She asked, looking towards the group that got her into this mess.

"Now," Iris started, unsheathing the rapier at her side. "We fight."

Diana nodded, setting the red knight against a wall. "She's right." She added, pulling out the lance strapped to her back. "We have nowhere else to turn. Certainly not our greatest escape attempt, this."

The princess looked over to their guest, the mage still seeming to be quite nervous around this group. "Can you fight?" She asked, her sapphire hues fixed upon the strange girl. Celeste pulled out a tome, its binding nothing like Iris had seen before. As long as it would help, she didn't care what was in that thing.

The thugs showed at the end of the alley. Some of them wielding axes, others with swords. Their leader stood back, casting a glare over to the group. As he raised his axe to the air, his men charged.

Iris shifted into a defensive stance, Diana just beside her with Celeste and Rufus at the rear. In such a narrow field as this, with the numbers of their opponents, the best offense would be a good defense. Hold their point.

A swordsman rushed toward Iris, bringing his blade around with a slash towards the princess' stomach. She jumped back, but the man kept up with his efforts, not allowing Iris any time to retaliate. Her gaze briefly flickered over to Diana, who was occupied with blocking strikes from a fighter's axe. Iris' own opponent took a misstep, allowing the princess an opening. She seized the opportunity presented, swiping with her own feet to knock the mercenary off balance, and end him with a swift blow to his heart with her rapier.

As the princess looked up to a man, charging her with his iron axe raised, an eruption of a strange black flame engulfed the man. He collapsed to the ground, his features seeming… drained, and a look of terror across his face. Iris had seen many things, but that type of magic was completely foreign to her. What was that?

Shaking these thoughts out of her head, the young swordswoman rushed forth to an axe-wielding thug Diana had been holding off, as the halberdier had found herself surrounded. The thug was slow to react to the princess' approach. His axe swung around in a wild attempt to defend himself. Instead, it only left him wide open as Iris charged, burying her weapon through his right breast. The man fell, as did another by Diana as her silver lance pierced a mercenary's torso.

Another spell burst, not far ahead of Iris, draining yet another man of his vitality. This magic terrified her. What _was_ it? The princess was very familiar with the different varieties of magic, especially with Rowan explaining it to her as a curious child. This, this didn't feel natural.

As the group held out, the body count rose. Eventually there was only one left. The man glared at the princess as she advanced. "Y've no idea wha that girl is, d'ya?"

"I don't need to know." Iris declared. "All I need to know is that _you_ led your men to their deaths just for some _reward_. You are a coward and don't deserve to continue this life."

"Tch. Ye got a lot te learn, kid." The thug spat, readying for a fight.

The princess rushed forth towards the thug, but he charged her as well. He raised his steel axe and swung forth with all his might. Iris rolled to the side as the powerful weapon fell, but just as she thought herself out of danger, the man jabbed at her stomach with his fist. The princess collapsed to the ground, clutching her stomach as she tried to get her breath back. The man chuckled as he stood over the girl, her companions unable to help as they held back their drunken friend.

'_How are you able to do that?' A young girl asked her older brother as she stared at an obliterated training dummy._

'_Do what?' He asked, not really seeing what she was getting at._

'_The thing just shattered when you hit it!'_

_The young man scratched the back of his head as he thought of a way to explain this to the girl. 'Well, practice, for one. Just find your center, Iris, and nothing can stop you.' He added, ruffling the girl's snowy locks._

_Just find your center._

The princess opened her eyes, picking her rapier off the ground as she leapt away, the thug's axe digging itself in the ground just where she had been sitting. As she settled just a few yards away, the princess raised her rapier before her, and charged.

The man's eyes widened as Iris charged him, unable to react in time before the blade pierced his chest. He let out a pained gasp as he glared at the swordswoman before him. "Ye 'ave _no…_ idea…" His body fell limp as he breathed no more.

_No idea about what?_ The princess wondered.

"Arissss!" Rufus called out as he attempted to run for her, and trip and fall on his face.

Diana ignored him this time as she made her way over to the princess. "Milady, are you unharmed?"

Iris rubbed her stomach at her guard's question. "Maybe a few bruises, but I'm fine."

"I'm… sorry for causing you so much trouble." Celeste started as she approached the others. "I didn't mean to get any others involved and…"

"Leave." The halberdier demanded, stepping forward to shield the others.

The princess stepped forward, firmly grabbing her guard's shoulder to get her attention. "Diana, what is wrong with you? She helped us, she doesn't seem to have anywhere to go and…"

"Do you not see the signs, milady?" The older woman exclaimed, gesturing to the foreign mage. "The reward, the tome, those _spells_? That woman is a _dark_ mage!"

Iris reeled back as the words hit her. She looked over to Celeste, still not wanting to accept the words. "Is this true?"

The young woman cast her gaze to the ground, not wanting to meet either of the two's eyes. "Yes." She admitted. "But I left Khadein for a reason. I'm _not_ like the ones who decided to revolt."

The princess pushed past her guard, approaching the young mage before them. "I believe you."

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><p><strong>AN:**

**What happens when you put a lord, a Jeigan-type character, a red knight, and a dark mage into a chapter together? Haha.**

**Anyway, I know the halberdier class is an exclusive to the Tellius games, but it's one of my favorite classes for some reason, because it's just so cool. So shh!**

**And as for there being a red knight but no green knight, don't worry, we'll see him soon.**

**Ah, but there you have it. There's Iris. Gotta admit, when I was designing her, I was really inspired by Deirdre (one of my favorites). So quiet up about the white hair thing. Just because she's of Marth's bloodline, doesn't mean they all have to have blue hair!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Review, follow, favorite, if you enjoyed.**

**This is your still-hyper squish wishing you all a good day! :D**


	3. Chapter 2: Informant

**A/N:**

**Hoo! Sorry this took so long. I've been rather busy lately, trying to finish up stories and let's plays. Yeah, I'm just trying to clear the schedule... to make room for more stories and lps... Anywho! The chapter is out, we have two more recruits, let's get to this! Also, I've been playing through Radiant Dawn. I like it much more than its predecessor. Voice Acting is still bad though... Anywho, sit back, R&R, and most importantly, enjoy! Word Count (2336)**

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><p>The group had arrived at an inn quite some distance away from the little alley they had found themselves chased into previously. Diana had started carrying Rufus on her back after some time, as his legs stopped working not very long after their encounter. Iris, on the other hand, kept an eye on her guest. The mage absolutely fascinated her, but she would never answer any of the questions the young lord asked. Well, perhaps the streets weren't the best place to be asking, but Iris didn't really care so long as she could sate her curiosity.<p>

The inn itself was rather small, but quite accommodating. A nice elderly couple seemed to be running it, residents of this town for quite a long time. A young man, clad in green armor which matched his close-trimmed hair, sat at a table by himself, drinking special brew the elders mixed up for him. His eyes lifted as he noticed the group enter, rising from his seat to reveal his tall, yet lanky build. He approached the group, eyeing the newcomer among them. "Ah, well, I see you've made a new friend." He commented.

"Ah… yes. This here is Celeste," Iris replied, "and before you ask, Algar, no we didn't meet the informant yet."

"And where exactly is she going to stay?" The cavalier asked. "I'm certain Diana has brought this up, but you're prone to…"

"Taking on more than she can handle." The guard finished, shifting as she readjusted the cavalier she was still carrying. "And nearly getting herself killed because of it." She added, casting a glare at the princess.

The girl closed her eyes as she took this heat from the two, a grimace stretched across her face. "Yeah, yeah. But the thugs are gone, and our dear Celeste over here is welcome to bunk with me and Diana tonight." She said, placing a hand upon the mages shoulder and shaking the girl roughly.

Diana finished handing Rufus off to his counterpart, jumping back as she heard Iris' suggestion. "Milady, there were only two small beds in the room, and you suggest this girl stay with us?"

"Well, we can't let her sleep on the floor…"

The mage freed herself from the princess's grasp, taking a few steps away from the girl to avoid another situation like that. "I really don't mind… I mean… I'm used to it." She said, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

Iris' expression fell. This girl had fled from Khadein. How long had she been on the run? Probably lost, alone, and without help, for the fear the average person had about dark mages. "Diana?" She started, looking up to her guard.

The halberdier let out a sigh as she knew what that look was. "Yes, milady." She turned her attention back over to the mage. "You may take my bed. No worries for me though. Before you object, this is the princess' orders."

"So it's settled then." Iris stated, crossing her arms and giving a satisfied nod. "Celeste bunks with us tonight, and Algar…" She looked over to the knight who was trying to keep Rufus from sliding down. "Good luck tonight." She added before heading off to her room with the other women.

The knight's eyes widened as she left. "What? Iris!"

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><p>The night was quiet, but one dark mage tossed and turned in her bed. Eventually, it became too much to handle. Her eyes opened and she sat up, taking a look around the room. The older knight slept on the floor, close to the princess. A wool blanket pulled over top of her. She seemed to be having a nightmare of sorts, but the princess herself seemed rather quiet. Too quiet actually. The mage ignored this as she left her bed, and headed for the door, being careful as she could so as not to wake anyone.<p>

As she made it to the hallway, she carefully closed the door, but could not escape the loud noise which it made. She looked back and forth through the hall. No one else was there, the men of the group were staying right next door. What a quirky bunch this group was.

Light shone in through a window at the end of the hall. Celeste made her way over to it, looking outside to observe the town. Guards drinking and laughing. She shook her head and let out a deep sigh.

"Trouble sleeping?"

The mage turned around to see the one who asked her to stay, the princess, Iris. "I suppose." She answered.

"I suppose." The princess repeated to herself, a small smile stretched across her face. "Tell me, Celeste. What's the problem?"

The brunette shook her head. "I-It's really nothing."

This time it was the princess' turn to sigh. She looked out the window her companion backed herself up against, watching as moths fluttered around outside. "People don't just get up in the middle of the night for nothing." She said. "Now either something's bothering you, or you have a bad habit of sneaking out like I do, and I seriously doubt it's the latter here."

The mage turned her head down. "You're a lot smarter than I gave credit for."

Iris watched the girl with an amused grin. "Yeah, I get that a lot. I guess I did learn from the best. …So I assume this is about your home, yes?"

Celeste let out another sigh, starting to play with her hands this time. "Y-Yeah. I mean… my friends… well, some of them decided to stay and… I just don't know if I should have left or…" The girl closed her eyes, tears starting to stream forth.

"Hey," Iris started, pulling the girl into a comforting embrace. "For all it's worth, I think you made the correct choice in leaving."

"But I…"

"Don't worry about that now, 'kay? It's in the past, and we're here now." She added, pulling away, and wiping away a few of the girl's tears. "Now let's head back. We still gotta look for that informant tomorrow, and besides… Diana might notice we're missing. Last thing I want is for her to gut you like those mercenaries today."

The mage's eyes went wide at that last comment. Like those mercenaries… Got it.

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><p>"So where is this informant, again?" Algar asked as the whole group made their way through town. "Are you <em>sure<em> this is the correct town?"

Diana led the group, her silver lance fixed on her back as always, and her posture tense. The woman always seemed to expect the worst. Meanwhile, Rufus followed along, wearing an expression of pain as he fought back the headache he awoke with earlier that day. Celeste stayed quiet the whole day, but Iris, she just romped along with her arms stretched back behind her head. "Yes, I'm _sure_ this is the correct town." The princess stated, letting her arms fall back to her sides.

"Really…" The knight continued, reaching a hand up as he pressed the bridge of his nose. "And do we even know what this man looks like, or where exactly he is?"

"The note said he'd be at The Maid's Bastard." Diana spoke up. "Now, we could have gone there _yesterday_ if some cavalier didn't decide to wander into the first pub he could find and lose the rest of the group." She added, casting a glare back to the crimson-armored knight.

"'Ey, it wasn't my fault." The man tried to say, raising an arm in defense.

The other male knight shook his head as he watched his companion. "It's always your fault, Rufus."

"Hey!"

"Oh, boys." Iris called out, grabbing the attention of the two. "I'm not sure if you've noticed yet, but we're here already." She said, pointing up to a sign which hung above the entrance of the shady-looking little pub.

The two shut up, Algar straightening up and dusting himself off, and Rufus combing a hand back through his crimson hair. Diana rolled her eyes at the antics of the two. She was always like the mother of the group, hells, she was old enough to be Iris', and had been in service of the royal family since the girl was an infant. She looked over to the princess and the mage close by. "Now you two in particular, stay close." She warned. "And you…" She added, pointing to the green knight. "Keep Rufus away from the mead."

She opened the door, keeping Iris and the recent addition close to herself as they stepped forth. The inside of the pub was about as dirty as the outside. A couple of grisly looking men were passed out in the corners, whom no one seemed to care about. Piss and ale on the floor, and peeling paint covering the walls. An old barkeep stood at his station, briefly looking up at the new arrivals, barely raising his bushy brows before turning his attention back to a small group gathered at a far end. "Welcoming." Iris commented as she looked around. "See anyone that might look like our informant?"

"We only know as much as you do." Algar reminded her.

The young noble let out a sharp breath as she thought on about the information that went around the group before they left. "Right." She looked around a bit more, her eyes settling upon the gathering of men in the far corner, as they seemed to be quite focused upon one in the group. "How about over there?"

"I doubt our informant would draw attention to himself in such a manner." Diana stated before realizing the girl was headed off towards the group on her own. The guard let out a growl, chasing after the princess.

Iris reached the group of men, peering around them as she tried to look for what seemed to be drawing their attention. One man, sat at the far end, wearing a smug expression as he manipulated a group of three mugs. Iris knew this trick, and what this con-man was up to. Then again, these men were probably too drunk to notice. She observed the man more intently, taking note of his features. He had a messy mop of blond hair and a face of stubble. Certainly, this man never shaved regularly. A scar stretched from his right ear to his nose, and down across his lips to his chin. He wore the garb of a traditional hunter, mostly colored grey, and an iron bow which was propped up on the wall behind him.

"Ey! Give us ar money back!" One of the men shouted out, backing up and knocking Iris over, who was caught by a steaming Diana.

"Now, now, fellows." The hunter said, starting to back up. "No need to get all up in arms here. I did say there were no refunds."

"Hey boys," Another called out. "Here's our refund!" The man proceeded, swinging his fist towards the hunter, which was swiftly dodged.

The man backed up further and further from the patrons, unable to pick up his bow as they came. "Well it seems my business is unappreciated here." He added with a bit of a pout. "Hey, help a fella out?" He called, taking notice of the spectating group of knights.

"Why not?" Iris stated, readily rushing forth and striking a man from behind. All she ended up with was a sore hand, and a patron that looked more irritated than anything. "Eh-heh…"

Algar and Rufus already rushed in after Iris' jump into the fray. Well, Algar seemed more like he was at it to protect his comrades unlike Rufus who was just rushing in for the heck of it, _and probably snatch a drink while no one was looking_. Celeste backed away, not willing to use her magic during this whole fists-fight, and instead just backed up to the door. Diana immediately rushed to her princess' side, delivering a sharp blow to the man's windpipe, neutralizing that threat. She stared down at Iris as the others continued to fight. "Seems like someone needs to revisit their self-defense courses?"

"Hey, I can fight." The girl squeaked as she looked up at her guard.

"You know what I mean."

The fight carried on between the two parties, though even in number, well, not exactly seeing as how Celeste stayed away from the fight and Iris was barely being any help at all with how squishy she was, the party of knights was clearly superior. They easily managed to incapacitate the group of patrons, leaving the hunter to pick back up his belongings.

"Hey, thanks back there." He said, fixing his bow to his back.

"No… problem." The princess groaned, her guard helping to keep her upright.

The hunter grinned at the sight, starting to laugh as he let the group wonder what was going on.

"Excuse me, sir." The halberdier spoke up. "What exactly seems to be so humorous here?"

The man sniffed, catching himself before he could start again. "Ah, well, excuse me my good lady, but I have a very important message to deliver to Archanea's princess." He stated, casting a glance towards Iris.

The princess, however awkwardly, managed to find it in her strength to stay on her own feet this time. He wouldn't just tell this information to anyone, she hoped. "So you're that informant we've been looking for?"

"My name is Kaiser, my good lady. And I must say… I never expected a princess to enter a brawl like that." He added, starting to chuckle again. "Ah but I truly needed the help back there. Would have been quite unfortunate if she and her company arrived to a dead informant, yes?"

"Y-Yeah." Iris stated, not really knowing what to think of this man. The west though, she needed to remember that was the purpose of coming all the way out here. "A-Any news of the conflict in Khadein?"

The hunter's expression fell as he pulled a seat forth. Not for him, but the young Archanean princess.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**Yeah, I know some of you may have been excited for a big bar-fight scene, but I kinda wasn't feeling up to writing it. Personally, I feel it's better to leave something out than shoehorn it in with poor writing. I just wasn't feeling it, so yeah. It was kinda approaching my focus threshold anyway. That's why things longer than 3000 words for me tend to drop off in quality. ADD sucks, I'll tell ya. Ahem, so Algar and Kaiser. Yes, Kaiser's name is a blatant ripoff of Caesar, but I enjoy the Archanea games. Norne is still my favorite bow wielding unit of the bunch though. And exploring into Iris a bit more with her personality and stats. I've always kinda compared her to myrmidons, so yeah. But I'm not gonna add in a Navarre-type character just yet. We still have plenty more story to go. I'm just gonna roll on out of here now.**

**Anyway, thanks for the read. Leave a comment, follow, favorite, all that wonderful jazz.**

**This is your dear old Squishy, bidding you all a good day! :D**

**(I'm not old, seriously...)**


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